ESL One Katowice 2018: 1,500 qualifying points up for grabs at Poland’s first ever Major

Poland will host its first ever Dota 2 Major later this month, with 16 of the world’s best teams set to compete for valuable qualifying points for a place at The International 2018.

With $1m up for grabs, Dota 2’s finest will be giving it their all to win the second ESL tournament of 2018.

However, the 1,500 qualifying points will be the main prize. Qualifying for The International puts teams in contention to win the biggest prize pool in competitive gaming.

Last year’s showpiece tournament saw organisers Valve Corporation hand out $24.6m in prize money, up from $20.7m in 2016. If previous years are anything to go by, the prize pool should increase once again this season.

The ESL One Katowice 2018 will get underway in Katowice, Poland at the 11,500 capacity Spodek Arena on Tuesday, 20 February.

ESL One Katowice 2018 teams

A total of 16 teams will compete at the ESL One Katowice 2018, made up of eight invited teams and eight that earned their place at regional qualifiers.

This will include two teams from Europe and North America and one team each from China, Southeast Asia, South America and CIS regions.

ESL One Katowice 2018 draw

With just weeks to go, the organisers have made the draw for the first round of the ESL One Katowice.

In Group A, Team Liquid, the current champions of The International, will face Effect. OG have been drawn against European qualifier Vici Gaming and Mineski will face CompLexity.

The final game in the group will see Last Chance qualifiers OpTic clash with Virtus.pro. This one should be an interesting clash, given that Virtus.pro, the leading side in the CIS region, will be bedding in a new player.

Virtus.pro recently announced the signing of Vladimir ‘RodjER’ Nikogosyan, who has replaced Ilya ‘Lil’ Ilyuk as their position 4.

Group B has paired Team Secret with Infamous and LGD Gaming with Evil Geniuses. Natus Vincere will face Southeast Asia qualifier Fnatic.

Likewise, Europe qualifier Team Kinguin will attempt to stop Newbee claiming back-to-back wins at ESL tournaments. The Chinese organisation claimed a 3-2 victory over Team Liquid in the ESL One Genting final last month.

ESL One Katowice 2018 tickets

ESL One are offering fans free entry in Katowice. However, with limited space available you will have to be in the queue early for guaranteed entry.

This will grant you access to the Spodek Arena two hours before those in the waiting lines on either Saturday or Sunday. Aside from guaranteed entry, there will also be opportunities to meet your favourite players and take part in signing sessions.

ESL One is also offering weekend passes (100 PLN), which grant access on both days.

Premium tickets (400 PLN) come with priority seating right in front of the stage, premium signing sessions and a goodie bag.

God Mode tickets are also available for 3,000 PLN ($878). These VIP tickets come with a luxury stay at a nearby 5-star hotel, access to VIP areas and priority over other ticket holders throughout.

ESL One Katowice 2018 streams

ESL One Katowice will be streamed live throughout the tournament via ESL TV.

Likewise, following the announcement of an exclusive streaming deal with Facebook, matches will also be shown live via the ESL One Facebook page.